Shrine rumors
by Uncle.Dragon
Summary: This is a story behind a shrine that only fated ones could find.


Once upon a time, there was a village far away in the mountains. In the outskirts of the village lies a swamp, and in the middle of it was a shrine where no one dared to worship anymore.

It was said that, there was only one safe path that leads to the shrine, since nobody has ever returned from the swamp because the mud that drags down anything and anyone into its murky depths. As such, the swamp was mainly used as a graveyard; just discard any carcass and let the quicksand do the job.

Until one night, a figure staggered into the swamp in the middle of the night.

It was a woman, her complexion much paler than usual and her hair long and dark, clutching on to her sword with all her might as she hobbles deep into the swamp, hoping to find a safe spot where she could rest and deal with her poison. The swords-woman had been poisoned when slaying the enemy lord, who stabbed her with a poisoned knife when he fell.

Suddenly, tripped by a root, the woman fell face flat onto the muddy terrain, she tried to push herself up, but with all her remaining strength, she could only manage to roll her body over, her eyes now facing the full moon.  
As much as she despairs, the woman realized that she is dying soon, she wanted to scream in pain, but her condition could only allow her to moan. Her eyelids are also getting too heavy, so she decides to hold in all her grudges, and accepts her death.

* * *

Upon another time, in a shrine far far away, there lived a beautiful shrine maiden, with a streak of golden hair as radiant as the sun.

For as long as she remembered, her world only consisted of herself, the gods above, and the swamp itself.

Until a few days ago, she met another girl unconscious on the muddy ground a few steps away from her shrine. For all she could know, this is probably just another one of those dead people the villagers nearby had dumped here, at least until she heard her moans. And besides, she knows that she was not from that village; nobody there knows the safe path that lead here.

Her daily routine, from what originally consists of cleaning, prayers, eating and bathing, now became nursing this girl back to health. Using the knowledge from the gods above, it took her days to just completely purge the poison, and more days to heal her wounds.

Once, the maiden was exhausted after removing her final dressing of bandages, and she fell asleep beside her. The innocent girl never knew, about the bond they will soon have for the rest of their days.

* * *

For the first time in days, the swords-woman finally opened her eyes in the middle of the night. She was immediately puzzled by her surroundings, her clean and white robe, how her wounds healed, and why she feels healthy. What shocked her the most however, was the stunning, strangely familiar beauty, of her caretaker.

_"Hi, Hime..."_

The maiden was aroused from her slumber when her patient seemingly called out to her.

_"Himeko...?"_

The maiden simply had no idea who was this "Himeko" the girl was calling her. Neither did she had any idea about what will happen afterwards.

The swords-woman crawled to the girl, trembling, her hands held on to the blonde's shoulder. She kept observing the blonde, her amethyst eyes, her silky golden hair, her well sculpted nose, lips and ears. But somewhere, she knew, that this isn't Himeko, her best friend and possible love.

Himeko lost her life to a plague, and that was already in her childhood. She thought, that if Himeko lived, she would probably... look exactly like her. Now snapped back to reality, she found themselves breathing into each others' face, their lips almost touching.

The shrine maiden never really had much interaction with the outside world, she is naturally confused, but is mentally prepared for whatever comes next. The swords-woman, now filled with lust, slowly pressed her lips onto the maiden's, her arms embracing the body, as she gently guided her mate to the mattress...

...Whatever happens after that moonlit night, was up to your imagination.

However, one thing was sure.

In the modern age we are in today, that shrine still exists; the public found it when the swamp was cleared for development. It was said, that if you pray at this shrine for good health and relationships, that prayer was sure to be granted. There would also be two mysterious shrine maidens, whom visitors would seek advice from, as their advice work wonders.


End file.
